Darth Lycan
Darth Lycan was the Galactic Emperor during the time of the Jedi Rebellion. He led the Empire successfully through the conflict and began the process of organizing the entire galaxy under the Imperial banner in the aftermath of the war. As with all Emperors before him, Lycan was both a Sith Lord and a direct descendent of Darth Taral, the first Galactic Emperor. He also served as Grand Master of the Imperial Order of the Sith upon attaining the rank of Sith Master. Lycan was one of the more eccentric emperors. He insisted upon ruling not from the Imperial Palace but from the Sith Temple. He had the main hall turned into a grand throne room, complete with a solid stone throne intricately carved by imported artisans. He also had a flare for the antiquated, requiring that his personal army of guards be provided with old-fashioned armor. Though their battle armor appeared archaic, it was actually finely crafted modern armor in the form of ancient battle armor. In actuality, it offered them all the same protection as the best body armor of the day. Lycan likewise had a suit of armor made for himself, complete with a full face mask designed to strike fear in all who looked upon it. Unfortunately, he was forced to put his daughter, Arika, to death for her role in the Jedi uprising on Korribanos. That decision weighed very heavily on him for the rest of his life. Lycan's daughter Selene succeeded him as Empress following his supposed death. Biography Vartan Walker, a.k.a. Darth Lycan, was born during the height of the Imperial Expansionist period begun by his ancestor Empress Domina Walker nearly a hundred and fifty years before. Even as a youth, Vartan was devoutly dedicated to the ways of the Sith and unwaveringly loyal to the Galactic Empire. Upon reaching the rank of Dark Lord, Vartan took up a commission in the Imperial Navy, where he commanded the Star Destroyer Death Stalker ''for nearly five years. When his father, the Emperor, died in 277 NE, Vartan left the Navy and ascended to the throne. Before becoming the Galactic Emperor, Vartan married and had two daughters, Arika and Selene. He trained them both in the ways of the Sith and took great pride in their skills, though his youngest daughter, Selene, by far outshined her sister Arika. Vartan’s eldest daughter seemed hesitant to accept her role as future Empress and even put off her Sith studies whenever she could. Though the Force flowed strongly within her, as it did within every member of her family, she appeared to reject the Dark Side. She eventually did attain the rank of Dark Knight, but Vartan was greatly disappointed that she didn’t seem to show any desire to elevate her Sith rank. The Jedi Rebellion Around 300 NE, Vartan was given the surprise of his life when the Sith Temple, converted under his reign into the seat of Imperial power, was attacked by the nearby Jedi Temple under the orders of the Jedi Grand Master. Lord Lycan himself entered the fray, leading his team of elite guards to repel the Jedi aggressors. The siege was short and the Sith quickly gained the upper hand, but the ease at which the Jedi had infiltrated the Temple greatly disturbed the Emperor. After an investigation was launched, it was discovered, much to Lycan’s horror, that his daughter Arika had fallen in love with the Jedi Master overseeing the Korribanosian Jedi Temple and had granted him access to multiple hidden entrances to the Sith Temple. Lycan flew into a rage at the news, destroying a large portion of the Imperial throne room with the Force. Arika was sentenced to death for treason against the Empire and for her actions against the Sith Order. She was executed just days after the infiltration of the Sith Temple. Arika’s execution weighed heavily on Lycan’s mind, but he couldn’t afford to allow it to distract him. The Jedi attack on Korribanos was not an isolated incident; Imperial Sith across the galaxy were being assaulted by the Jedi Order. Within the week, the Empire was officially at war with the Jedi Order and its allies. The Jedi Rebellion, as it would come to be called, wore on for years. Still reeling after the loss of his daughter and never a friend to the Jedi even before the war, Lycan went after the Jedi without mercy. He became ruthless, even for a Sith Lord, taking out his anger at Arika’s death on the Empire’s enemies. Many times he commanded battles personally. By the end of the war, he had racked up an impressive number of Jedi kills, as did his remaining daughter, Selene. Selene, like her father, was a devout Sith Lord and participated in the war along with all other Sith in the Empire. She commanded her own squad of elite Imperial Knights which tore a swath of death through the Jedi ranks during the course of the war. Vartan led the Empire to victory against the Jedi, solidifying his place in the history books. After the war, much of the galaxy was in shambles; over the years, the Jedi had fused with the infrastructure of many galactic entities. The sudden loss of the Jedi caused a wave of instability across the galactic plane that threatened to collapse hundreds of governments simultaneously. The Empire was in the unique position to offer its support to those in need. This led to the Second Imperial Expansionist era and the beginning of the Golden Age of the Empire. Over the next hundred years, the Empire would grow to encompass nearly the entire galaxy. Future Lycan's fate is not one known by many in the galaxy; indeed only a handful of people have ''ever known the true fate of the Sith Emperor. Exactly when he died is a truth lost to time but what is known is that he did not stay dead. So strong was his will that even after his body failed him, Lycan continued to survive. His daughter Selene, fearing the loss of her power as Empress, had him locked away in the deepest bowels of the Sith Temple, unwilling to kill him but equally unwilling to allow him to remain free. There were still those devoutly loyal to the emperor who saved the Empire from the Jedi and news of his continued survival would cause an internal rift that could have led to disaster. And so Lycan remained buried away for the rest of Selene's life. Often she would visit with him and seek his counsel. She passed the knowledge of his existence to her children, who passed it down to their own children. And so the Walker family secret was propagated through the generations, never extending beyond blood relatives and the highest-ranking Sith who could be trusted with such knowledge. Over the years, Lycan's body began to deteriorate, held together purely through the power of the Force. A system was devised consisting of nutrient bathes and preservative injections to help stave off further decay. And so he has existed through the ages, acting as counsel to countless of his kin over the long centuries. As of the Empire's millennial, Emperor Raxus Walker and Grand Master Alban are confirmed to be cognizant of his existence. It is unknown if such knowledge has spread to any others in the Emperor's circle. Personality For most of his life, Lycan was known mostly for being deadly calm. Often times he could convey his feelings with a simple look and those around him knew that the less he spoke, the more cautious they should be. However, Darth Lycan was deeply affected by the execution of his daughter Arika. It haunted him for the rest of his life, leaving him prone to angry outbursts. Growing up, he always harbored a mild dislike of the Jedi, but after the onset of the Jedi Rebellion, that mild dislike morphed into full-blown hatred. He made it his personal goal in life to exterminate every single Jedi from the galaxy lest they ever rise up again, a goal which his daughter and successor Selene carried on during her reign as Empress. The general aversion to Jedi throughout the Empire continued on for centuries after and eventually the Force order faded into oblivion. Appearances *The Oncoming Storm *Into the Future (first appearance) }} Category:Imperial Sith character Category:Millennial era character Category:Galactic Empire Category:Galactic Empire Category:Imperial Leadership Category:Walker family Category:Characters by Josh Walker